Europe and UK

PRA consults on credit union investments in CUSOs

June 24, 2025 - The UK Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) has published CP13/25, outlining proposed changes
to rules and expectations for credit unions investing in Credit Union Service Organisations (CUSOs).

Key proposals include:
  • Allowing credit union investments in CUSOs under revised PRA rules
  • Setting expectations for governance and risk management in SS2/23
  • Updating Chapter 17 of SS2/23 following the proposed withdrawal of SS20/15

CUSOs, which provide shared services to credit unions, are seen as a vehicle to support sector growth.
The PRA aims to clarify the regulatory framework while maintaining appropriate prudential safeguards.

EBA launches consultation on RTS for acquisitions in Credit Institutions

June 18, 2025 - The European Banking Authority (EBA) has opened a public consultation on draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) that set out the minimum information to be provided when notifying a proposed acquisition of
qualifying holdings in a credit institution. The RTS aims to harmonize the notification process and support a consistent prudential assessment across Member States, in line with the five assessment criteria under the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD). The consultation is open until 18 September 2025.

Finalized TLPT rules adopted by the European Commission

June 18, 2025 - The European Commission has adopted new rules under Regulation (EU) 2025/1190 requiring certain financial institutions to conduct threat-led penetration testing (TLPT). The standards align with the TIBER-EU framework and provide criteria for entity selection, scope definition, and testing methodology. TLPT involves simulating
sophisticated cyberattacks on live production systems. Institutions must maintain strict confidentiality, implement mitigation controls, report outcomes, and submit remediation plans along with formal attestations of compliance.

EU moves to strengthen AML supervision of Crypto Providers

June 17, 2025 - The European Commission has proposed amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (AMLR)
to bolster EU-level supervision of crypto asset service providers (CASPs). The proposal designates the EU Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) as the lead supervisor for high-risk CASPs with cross-border operations and sets out selection criteria for entities under its supervision. The move is intended to ensure consistent oversight and address emerging risks in the crypto sector.

EBA Issues final Technical Standards on Operational Risk Capital and Reporting

June 16, 2025 - The EBA has published three final draft technical standards essential to the EU Banking Package.
These aim to enhance supervisory oversight and ensure regulatory consistency:

  • RTS on Business Indicator (BI) - standardizing the calculation and adjustments for operational risk capital requirements
  • ITS mapping to FINREP - supporting consistency across reporting and reducing implementation costs
  • Amending the ITS on operational risk reporting – updating the reporting framework to reflect regulatory changes

European Commission proposes one-year delay to FRTB implementation

June 12, 2025 - The European Commission has proposed postponing the application of the Fundamental Review
of the Trading Book (FRTB) rules to January 1, 2027. While most Basel III measures remain scheduled for 2025, this
delay allows additional time for alignment with global standards and to prevent competitive disadvantages for
EU banks in capital markets.


Asia-Pacific

Malaysia issues exposure draft on Basel III IRB approach

June 20, 2025 – Bank Negara Malaysia has released an exposure draft updating the capital adequacy framework for
credit risk under the Internal Ratings-Based (IRB) approach. Scheduled for implementation in 2028, the revised
framework introduces:
  • Enhanced risk-weighted asset calculations
  • Minimum standards for IRB adoption
  • Specific treatment for Islamic banking
  • An output floor to reduce model variability

The proposal aligns Malaysia with global Basel III reforms. Institutions must participate in a Quantitative Impact
Study and submit feedback by December 2025.

APAC regulators and supervisors expand climate risk integration

June 18, 2025 - Regulators across Asia-Pacific are increasingly embedding climate-related risks into their supervisory frameworks.Disclosures are now widely mandated, aligning with international standards such as TCFD and ISSB. While capital treatment remains limited, climate stress testing and scenario analysis are becoming more prevalent. Singapore, Malaysia, and New Zealand are noted for issuing detailed supervisory guidance. Institutions are expected to integrate climate risks into governance and risk management to enhance resilience and support sustainable finance objectives.

RBI issues Master Circular to streamline credit facilities for SCs/ STs

June 16, 2025 - The Reserve Bank of India (‘RBI’) issued a ‘Master Circular - Credit facilities to Scheduled Castes (SCs) & Scheduled Tribes (STs)’ consolidated guidelines to outline measures for banks to enhance credit access and financial inclusion for SCs and STs through streamlined procedures, special reservations, and enhanced monitoring.

What was announced:

  • Date: June 16, 2025
  • Circular: RBI/2025-26/56
  • Subject: Master Circular consolidating all RBI guidelines on lending to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and
    Scheduled Tribes (STs)
  • Applies to: All Scheduled Commercial Banks (including Small Finance Banks)

Key changes:

  • Banks must prioritize SC/ST borrowers in credit plans and remove barriers like upfront deposits
  • Awareness campaigns, simplified documentation, and field-level support are mandatory
  • SC/ST advances under schemes like DAY-NRLM, DRI, and CEGSSC to be actively promoted
  • Quarterly reviews, dedicated cells, and inclusion of SC/ST representatives in SLBCs are mandated

Reports/Returns impacted:

Report

Impact

Priority Sector Lending (PSL) Returns SC/ST advances to be reported accurately under PSL sub-targets
SLBC Reporting Must include SC/ST credit data
Financial Inclusion Board Review Gap in SC/ST lending must be escalated to the Board quarterly
Internal MIS / Credit Monitoring Bank-level tracking of SC/ST loans for audit and compliance
IFCI Reporting (if using CEGSSC) Guarantee utilization for SC borrowers must be tracked

 

HKMA consults on crypto - asset prudential reporting templates

June 13, 2025 – The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has issued a consultation on revised return templates
to implement the Basel Committee’s standards for cryptoasset exposures. While some forms remain unchanged,
updated instructions aim to provide clarity.

Affected returns include:

  • Liquidity Position (MA(BS)1E)
  • Certificate of Compliance (MA(BS)1F)
  • Capital Adequacy Ratio (MA(BS)3)
  • Market and CVA Risk (MA(BS)3A)
  • Stable Funding (MA(BS)26)
  • Leverage Ratio (MA(BS)27)
  • Large Exposures (MA(BS)28)

The consultation closes on 11 July 2025.

RBI eases provisioning rules for infrastructure loans

What was announced:

- Notification: RBI/2025-26/60 – Project Finance Directions, 2025
- Date Issued: June 7, 2025
- Effective From: October 1, 2025
- Applies To: All Regulated Entities (REs), including:
  • Scheduled Commercial Banks (except RRBs, LABs, Payments Banks)
  • NBFCs (including HFCs) o All-India Financial Institutions (AIFIs)
  • Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs)
  • Key changes introduced
1. Cost overruns & DCCO extension
  • Financing of cost overruns up to 10% of the original project cost + interest during construction (IDC) will not trigger a downgrade of asset classification, provided the DCCO remains within revised limits
  • Delays beyond this or restructuring of terms will be treated as credit events under the RBI’s resolution framework
2. Provisioning requirements
  • The RBI has not adopted the draft proposal of higher provisioning (5% construction / 2.5% operational)
  • Instead, standard asset provisioning remains at 0.4%, unless the project enters the restructured or NPA category
  • This is a relief from the earlier draft, which proposed much higher provisioning burdens on banks and NBFCs

The Directions establishes a framework for the regulated entities (REs) for financing project loans, while addressing the underlying risks.

NFA issues notification on One-Form System for bank regulatory reporting

May 20, 2025 - The National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA) issued the "Notice of the National Financial Regulatory Administration on Advancing the 'One-Form System' for Bank Regulatory Reporting" to local financial regulatory bureaus and banking institutions. This notice mandates the comprehensive implementation of the "One-Form System" across all banking institutions and provides a detailed blueprint and implementation roadmap. This notice formally announces the decision by NFRA to comprehensively advance the "One-Form System" initiative. All regulatory bureaus are required to submit the following to NFRA:

  • By June 10: "One-Form System" Data Submission Plan
  • By September 30: "One-Form System" Master Plan. Additionally, progress reports must be submitted semi-annually to track implementation.

The implementation of the "One-Form System" data reporting for banking institutions will be phased in according to two key criteria: whether they are located in pilot regions and their asset size. The rollout will follow these milestones:

  • June 2026
  • December 2026
  • December 2027

All banking and financial institutions are required to complete implementation by the end of 2027.


US and Canada

Reputational risk dropped from examination programs

June 23, 2025 – The Federal Reserve (FRB) has joined the OCC and FDIC in dropping the “reputational risk” from the examination component. The FRB has started the process of reviewing and removing references to reputation and reputational risk from its supervisory materials, including examination manuals, and, where appropriate, replacing
those references with more specific discussions of financial risk. The FRB will train examiners to help ensure this
change is implemented consistently across FRB-supervised banks and will work with the other federal bank regulatory agencies to promote consistent practices, as necessary. This change does not alter the FRB's expectation that banks maintain strong risk management to ensure safety and soundness and compliance with law and regulation, nor is it intended to impact whether and how FRB-supervised banks use the concept of reputational risk in their own risk management practices. SR-95-1

Progress update: The Leverage Ratios

June 23, 2025 - On July 22, the FRB will hold a conference to discuss the US bank capital framework, which will include “the design and calibration of the leverage ratios.” Vice Chair Bowman recently remarked, “we should reconsider capital requirements for a wider range of banks, including the SLR’s application to banks with more than $250 billion in assets, Tier 1 leverage requirements, and the calibration of the community bank leverage ratio.” Each of the banking agencies’ leadership has spoken on ideas on how to change, but none have provided details of the expected proposal. On June 6, the FDIC on behalf of the three banking agencies (FDIC OCC and FRB) submitted to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) a draft rule entitled “Modifications to Supplemental Leverage Capital for Large Banking Organizations; Total Loss-Absorbing Capacity Requirements for U.S. Global Systemically Important Bank Holding Companies.”

Trump signs resolution overturning OCC bank merger rule

June 20, 2025 - President Trump signed into law a joint resolution overturning an OCC rule that changed how proposed bank mergers are reviewed. Senator John Kennedy used the Congressional Review Act to annul the revised rule that was finalized in September 2024 and effective January 2025. On the House side, Representative Andy Barr introduced an accompanying resolution. The OCC’s rule was intended to improve transparency and clarify the review process. It also eliminated the expedited review process, the practice of automatically approving applications 15 days after the close of the comment period unless an action was taken.

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